Bulgarian children abroad depicted sites connected with Bulgaria in the countries where they live. This happened within the frameworks of the international youth biennial, organized by the Assen and Iliya Peykov Sunday school and Parallel 43 cultural association in Rome, Italy. The most impressive works will be presented at a special exhibition that will be unveiled on November 6 at the American University of Rome. Later, in July 2022, the exhibition will be on display at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia.

“Initially, the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad (ABSA) organized the international biennial only for Bulgarian children living abroad. Over time. however, many students from Bulgaria also joined the biennial”, Veneta Nenkova, founder of the the Assen and Iliya Peykov Sunday school in Rome and organizer of the international youth biennial, said for Radio Bulgaria. Nearly 100 children have participated at the competition. Highest activity was registered among Bulgarian children living in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and the USA. They sent short documentaries, as well as graphic works and paintings. Their works can be seen in the biennial’s you tube channel.

The children’s paintings and videos take us to places connected with the Proto-Bulgarians in Italy – in the Molise region and Celle di Bulgheria in Salerno Province. They tells us about the plant Atropa belladonna, commonly known as belladonna or deadly nightshade. Bulgarian herbalist Ivan Raev once used this dangerous plant to heal Queen Helen of Savoy. The works also depict the monuments to Captain Petko Voyvoda and the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Literature Ivan Vazov in Rome, as well as the monument to Vasil Levski in Washington, the Bulgarian water fountain in Kensington Gardens in London and many other Bulgarian sites abroad.

Compiled by: Elena Karkalanova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov

Photos: Assen and Iliya Peykov Sunday school, Rome